The Death of Riley Stavros
by skyboy790
Summary: After his break-up with Zane,Riley contemplates what it all means for him.
1. Chapter 1

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters or locations.**

**A/N:This story is set right after the Ziley break-up,actually it begins during the break up but you get the idea. By the by, don't worry about the title. It's designed to be catchy and it will relate to the story, but I have no intetions of killing off any of the Degrassi characters, least of all one of my favorites. I appologize for any typos/grammar/spelling errors that may have got by me.**

"You know why, and just because you're in some sort of hurry doesn't change anything." Riley said.

The look on Zane Parks face was almost more than Riley Stavros could bear. Zane's brown eyes were full of confusion and pain, he sat there in stunned silence at the words that were coming from his boyfriend's mouth.

"I've made my decision." Riley continued "I'm sorry if you can't respect that."

Riley could hardly believe he was ending their relationship just a few months before their high school graduation but if the horror show that had been his eighteenth birthday party was any indication,there was no way he could continue to put Zane through the pain of hiding their relationship from his parents.

" So this...this is how it ends? " Zane asked,almost pleading for Riley to change his mind.

" It has to." Riley replied flatly.

Zane looked lost. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something else then suddenly he simply got up walked out of The Dot, leaving Riley sitting alone at the counter.

Riley sighed and buried his face in both his hands. He felt tired,exhausted really. No football practice or game had ever left him this spent or heartbroken. Breaking up with Zane had been the most difficult thing he had ever done but he had not been given much of a choice. His last few months at home before leaving for university in the fall would be unbearable if he forced his parents to confront the fact that he was gay. His mother had barely spoken to him since he had tried to tell her the first time. She had denied it at first, telling him it was just a phase. When he had tried to argue otherwise she brushed it off, when he had tried to tell her about his boyfriend Zane, she had shut down completely.

It had been a chilly few weeks in the Stavros' household after that. His father had picked up on the tension between mother and son, but had not asked either of them about its source. Riley had wanted to talk to his father,to come out to him as well but his mother had forbidden it. Based on her reaction, he had neither the confidence nor the desire to press the issue with his father.

Then there was Zane. Zane who had always been so strong and supportive,who had urged Riley to be open and honest with his parents like he was. Easier said than done though, Riley's mother was in deep denial and his father was clueless. Zane's parents on the other hand were thrilled when their son had finally brought Riley home to meet them. They had welcomed him with open arms and treated him like a member of family almost right away. He thought it might have been because Zane had told them about his difficulties at home. Mr. and Mrs. Park had went out of their way to make him feel accepted at their home and in their son's life.

Riley's mother however,had always treated Zane like a pariah. She barely acknowledged his existence.

She preferred he not come back to their house after she had caught Riley and Zane kissing in his bedroom. She would have never allowed Riley to invite him to his birthday party had Riley not been pretending to date girls at the time. That combined with the fact that Riley told his mother he had also invited Athena,the girl with whom Mrs. Stavros had been trying to set Riley up with. His mother had viewed this as sort of a mea culpa on Riley's part and it had convinced her it would be okay for Riley to bring Zane along as " just a friend".

As it turned out this had been a terrible mistake. Zane spent most of the time being ignored by Mrs. Stavros and feeling like a fool sitting there listening to Riley and his father talk about Riley's imaginary girlfriend. Athena played along of course,Riley had told her he was gay shortly after their first "date" that his mother had tricked him into going on with her. She was sympathetic because she also had very strict and conservative Greek parents,it was actually her idea that Riley make up a fictitious girlfriend to keep his parents off his back while he and Zane continued to date but Zane was miserable the entire time and when he had had enough and stormed off Riley chased after him. The argument that they had gotten into shortly after that had finally opened Riley's eyes.

It wasn't fair to Zane to be forced into being Riley's dirty little secret around his family, but his mother simply could not or would not accept the fact that her son was dating a boy instead of the nice Greek girl she had always envisioned Riley ending up with. Riley was placed in the impossible situation of choosing between his family and his boyfriend and ultimately he had chosen his family.

As he sat alone at The Dot he couldn't help but think he had just made the biggest mistake of his life but what else could he have done. Zane certainly deserved better than being a non-entity around his family but the alternative to that meant that he and his mother would go back to being virtual strangers to each other. There was no way she would accept Zane as part of his life,she would always blame and resent him for "ruining" her son.

Breaking up with Zane had seemed like the only solution. It spared Zane the pain and humiliation he endured when they were around his family and let Riley maintain his own relationship with his mother,as well as spare her the pain and humiliation of having a gay son. Everyone wins, except Riley who was still gay and still in love with Zane and was now faced with prospect of pretending that neither of those things were true.

Now that he and his mother were speaking again she would certainly notice how miserable he was,what was he supposed to tell her?That he and his non-existent girlfriend broke up?Wouldn't she just try and set him up with Athena again or some other nice, Greek girl? Should he try to do that,date some nice girl that she picks for him until it's time to leave for university? Maybe he could use that as an excuse,that he doesn't want to start a relationship since he'll be heading to the states so soon. Would she buy that? What about when he came home for holiday? Wouldn't she be pestering him about who he was seeing?

"_I could always lie and say I'm too busy with school,work and football to date, just like I used to say before..." _before he met Zane, before they had kissed for the first time,before Zane had looked into his eyes and said "I love you Riley".

Being with Zane had given him the courage to finally be honest with himself and his friends and say "I'm gay" without being ashamed, being with Zane had given him the courage to walk down the halls of Degrassi holding Zane's hand without caring about what anyone else thought.

How could he have given that up so easily?

Because of his mother, that's how, because of how happy she had been these last few days. Since he had agreed to go out with Athena things between him and his mother had been so good, like it used to be. Was it truly so wrong to want to spend these last few months not fighting or being ignored, or feeling like a disappointment to his parents. Was that being too selfish? Wasn't having a relationship with his mother worth the heartache and the loneliness of losing Zane?

But did that mean it was also worth causing Zane that same pain and heartache? Before today Riley would have said "no". He loved Zane and would have never done anything to hurt him. He would have went out of his way to protect him and make him safe and cared for. Isn't that what it means to love some one? That you go out of your way to take care of that person,make them feel better when they're hurt,cheer them up when they're down,that you make their happiness and well-being a priority. If that's what it means to love some one then what does that say about his relationship with his mother? She loves him,of that much Riley is sure but...

"_Well I guess that "but" sorta says it all. Ma loves me but only a certain vision of me. Isn't that just a type of conditional love?What about Zane doesn't his love also come with the condition that we be open about our relationship?Is that fair? Is it fair to ask Ma to accept us? Is it fair that she doesn't?_

Suddenly Riley felt even more unsure about things than he usually did. It had all seemed so simple at first,on his way to The Dot to meet Zane everything had seemed so clear. Now faced with the possibility of losing Zane forever he suddenly wasn't so convinced.

"Oh Zane." Riley said aloud,thinking about the hurt look in his eyes as he stupidly sat there telling him how things needed to be. How could he have been so selfish and shortsighted? Why didn't he talk things over with him first?He needed to see Zane right now so he could explain what he was feeling and... and what? Even if Zane was willing to listen to what he had to say, and by some miracle forgive him, what about his mother? She still refuses to accept the fact that he's gay and there's no way she would accept he and Zane as a couple. Doesn't that leave him exactly where all this began?

Zane or his family because it's obvious he can't have both. No matter what he decides he will lose one or the other. With that realization Riley does the only thing he can do, he begins to cry.

Small streaks of tears leak from his eyes and down his cheeks,it's actually happening before he is fully aware of it because at first he feels the moisture on his face and is puzzled by how it got there. Then with the dawning knowledge that he is in fact crying, the reasons why slowly begin to sink in. He's overwhelmed by how hopeless the whole thing is and again before he quite knows it's him he hears a wretched sobbing escape his lips as the tears intensify. His vision blurred with tears, sobbing like a child,he can't help but feel completely pathetic. Eighteen years old,about to graduate high school and attend university on a football scholarship,yet here he sits alone at The Dot sobbing uncontrollably.

**A/N: So that's the first chapter of my first fan fiction. Remeber I'm a noob when you Read and Review. This story will most likely be AU because I have no idea what the writers have planned for Ziley so this will be my take on their story and I hope you like it. One final thing,the title is a play on the whole two Rileys concept.I think it's high time we get rid of one of those Rileys so that the other one can live a full life because as the saying goes,"A house divided can not stand."**


	2. Chapter 2

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi,it's characters or it's locations.**

**A/N:Second chapter hope you enjoy. By the way, since the show has kinda split Ziley off from the rest of the cast, I've decided to do the same for now at least. Apologies for any errors that I may have missed. **

Riley sat alone at The Dot cradling his head between his hands. Moments before he had been sobbing almost uncontrollably. Thankfully The Dot was almost deserted, as it had been when Zane had first arrived. Zane,the mere thought of him was enough to tie Riley's guts back in knots and cause more tears to well up in his eyes. _My God, how could I have messed things up so badly in such a short time_ he thought. He was so miserable and lost in his own painful thoughts that he was startled to feel a hand grip his shoulder.

"Riley,have you been crying?" Athena Andropolous asked.

"Athena? What are you doing here?" Riley wondered aloud as he used the back of his hands to scrub at his eyes and nose. He had been so distracted that he must not have heard her come into the restaurant. He sniffed loudly and started to stand but Athena's hand rubbed his shoulder gently and pushed him back into his seat at the counter.

"I came into the city to see a movie and thought I'd stop by for a coffee and danish afterwords." Athena slipped off her jacket and took a seat on the stool next to him. She reached into her handbag and produced a tissue. She reached out to dab Riley's cheek.

"Don't." he said and reflexively brushed her hand away. He felt a pang of regret, he hated being coddled but he knew the girl was only concerned about him and truthfully he was embarrassed to be seen in such a sorry state. At least it wasn't one of his school mates from Degrassi. He took the tissue from her hand and wiped his eyes before blowing his nose into it and crumpling it into a tiny ball.

"Eww." Athena said in mock disgust. "Okay, I don't think I want that cream cheese danish now but how about you have a coffee with me?"

"Sorry." Riley smiled sheepishly. "Coffee sounds good."

The waitress, who had been hanging back near the kitchen door during the worst of Riley's breakdown approached shyly when Athena motioned her over. After taking their order and depositing two steaming cups in front of them,the waitress suddenly found something to occupy her time at the back of the restaurant.

"So", Athena began, "does this have anything to do with why Zane left so suddenly the other day ?"

"You could say that." Riley said and gave her a humorless smile.

"Listen, Riley. I'm so sorry about all that fake girlfriend stuff I made up at your birthday party. I would have never said anything like that if I'd known Zane wasn't on board with the idea. When you introduced him to your dad as your "friend", I just assumed he was okay with keeping your relationship a secret from your family."

Riley held up a hand to interrupt. "It's okay. That was my stupid idea and... Zane...has always wanted me to be open about us to my parents. I should have realized it would blow up in my face. I was just so happy to have figured out a way to be with Zane and have a good relationship with my parents that I got carried away. I knew he wouldn't like it but..." Riley let the rest of the words trail off unspoken.

"He must have been really pissed to break up with you. I don't know him very well but I wouldn't have pegged him as the hotheaded type."

"Oh no,in yet another genius move, I broke up with him." Riley said and hitched a thumb in his own direction for emphasis.

" I'm lost." Athena said. "Why you would break up with him?"

"Because I was trying to spare him from being pushed aside every time we were around my family. He hated that and I hated it for him. Zane is...,well Zane is incredible and he deserves to be with someone who doesn't hide him away, who doesn't require him to be a secret like he's something to be ashamed of. I was trying to protect him." Riley sighed. "I just thought it would be better for him if I let him go because I knew,"he swallowed a lump forming in his throat, "I knew he would never give up on me. He'd stick by me and try to get me to come out to my parents."

Athena pushed her long brown hair over her shoulder and stirred her coffee absently." Riley, would that be such a bad thing? Coming out to your parents,I mean."

"Athena we talked about this the other day. I told you how Ma reacted when I told her the first time. Besides, wasn't it you that said "what parents don't know can't hurt them"?

"Yes, but that was before I knew that Zane wouldn't be comfortable hiding his relationship with you."

Athena sighed. "Also, I said that when I was sneaking around to see boys before my parents said I could. It's not the same thing. My parents didn't want me to date until I was sixteen, but they and I knew eventually that I would be dating. It sounds to me like your mom isn't ready to accept that you're gay, and she never will be unless you confront her."

"It's not that simple. You don't know what it was like with her before." Riley said

"Before?" asked Athena."You mean when you weren't pretending? Riley it sounds like you've already come out to your mom. She may be stubborn but I doubt she's stupid. How did you tell her before?"

"I tried talking to her the morning after she caught Zane and I making out in my bedroom. She thought we we studying and came in unannounced."

"Whoa, awkward much."

"You have no idea," Riley smiled at the memory. "She brought snacks for the "study buddies" and just walked right in on us."

"Oh my God!" Athena gasped. "Just how involved was this study session?"

"It was a solid PG-13 ,but it was still enough to send us all reeling that night. Zane went home and she went straight to bed. When I tried to talk to her the next day,she was in complete denial. Claimed we were just horsing around and I was in a phase."Riley explained.

"Honey, I've dated a QB or two and none of the straight ones make out with their study buddies,unless they're girls." Athena laughed. "She knows Riley, it's just her pride that won't let her accept it right now.

"Athena I've tried and she just won't.."

"Wait." she interrupted Riley and reached over the counter to retrieve a pitcher of creamer. She poured it into her coffee and swirled the cup in her hand. Riley watched as the dark contents of the cup took on a new caramel color as the cream mixed with the coffee. Athena then reached him the cup and said "Fix it."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked puzzled.

" I mean fix it. Take the cream back out of the coffee."

" I can't." Riley said matter of factly.

" Exactly, you can't unstir the cream from the coffee any more than your mom can fix you being gay. It's a part of who you are and she can't just ignore it away. More so, you shouldn't let her."

" I love her,she's my mother." Riley said

" Of course you do." Athena replied. "She loves you too, but you can't let a lie come between that love with your mother or with Zane. She knows you're gay and the sooner you quit playing into her fantasy the sooner she will have to come to terms with that. It won't be easy I'm sure, but you owe it to her to give her the chance. You owe it to Zane and yourself,but I think you already know that."

"I know you're right,it's just I thought this would be so much easier." Riley said.

" Yeah well it's cliche but the truth is some of the best things in life don't come easy Riley Stavros and I don't think you're the type of guy that backs down from a challenge." Athena reached over and gave him a playful push on his shoulder.

" How would you know?" Riley cocked an eyebrow quizzically at his new friend. He was actually feeling quite a bit better after their talk.

" Call it Greek intuition." She retorted.

The playful mood passed and Riley became somber again."Even if I can hash this out with Ma, I've still royally screwed things up with Zane. He's given me so many chances but I just keep messing things up. How can I ever expect him to forgive me?

"Like I said,I don't know him all that well but if he's half as great as you make him sound I think he'll come around but," Athena continued " even if he doesn't you still need to deal with your mom."

" I know." Riley said. He leaned back in his chair and stretched,feeling like he had just done fifty laps in the pool. "God what a day this has been, I don't even know where to begin." he leaned forward on the table.

Athena patted his arm."Well don't worry about it tonight. Go home and get a good nights sleep and we'll come up with a battle plan tomorrow."

"We?" Riley asked

"Of course." Athena smiled brightly. " I stuck my nose into this and helped mess it up,so there's no way I'm not gonna try and help you fix this."

"Athena you don't have to do that." Riley said.

"Hey, us prodigal Greek kids have gotta stick together right?" Athena flashed him another bright smile.

Riley couldn't help but smile back,despite the challenge that lay ahead of him. It was finally time to put an end to the "two Rileys".Time to confront his mother and win back the man he loved. No more hiding,no more lies, no more battles with himself over his identity. This was his chance to put things right and bring the two Rileys together once and for all.

**A/N: Well that was chapter two,hope you like the addition of Athena.I would have liked to use Anya as a supporting character but with her current storyline I figured replacing her with Athena would be less of a headache. Even though I'm rewriting Ziley from Season 11,it just feels disrespectful to rewrite everyone's story as well as theirs. Maybe it's because I feel they have been so short changed in the last two seasons. Anywho please Read and Review.**


	3. Chapter 3

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or it's characters and locations.**

**A/N: Third chapter up and ready. Thanks to everyone for reading,hope you enjoy it. I've changed the rating to reflect the more mature direction this story is taking but I intend to keep it pretty much in line with series as far as content and language so expect it to stay T rated. Sorry for any mistakes/errors that got by me.**

Riley and Athena waited outside the entrance to Degrassi together. Athena sat patiently at a table on the school common grounds while Riley paced nervously back and forth in front of her. It was late afternoon and classes were already dismissed for the day. Only the students with after school activities were still inside,which was exactly why the two of them were there.

"So when is the LGBT club meeting over?", Athena asked as she checked the time on her cellphone.

"4:15." Riley replied.

"Ten minutes til showtime then. Are you sure Zane will leave through the front exit?"

"Absolutely. Zane is a big time creature of habit." Riley replied."There's no way he would leave through another door unless..."

"...he suspected you were waiting on him out here." Athena finished Riley's sentence for him." So I guess that means he's still giving you the cold shoulder,huh?"

"Cold? The north pole is cold but that's nothing compared to the way Zane has cut me off. He ignores me in the few classes we have together,skips lunch or eats off campus and all my phone calls,texts and emails get no response. I'd have better luck trying to make friends with a polar bear,at least he would acknowledge my existence before he bit my head off." Riley explained.

"Be positive,maybe he's had a chance to think things over and will run right into your open arms." Athena added cheerily. Riley made a noise somewhere between a snort and cough while shaking his head.

Just then the front door of the school opened and Riley recognized a few members of the LGBT club exiting the building. "Yikes, that's my cue." Athena said standing up and slipping her cell into the front pocket of her jeans. She retrieved her purse from the table and stepped up to Riley,giving him a quick,one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. "For luck. Call me afterwords." she said before dashing off down the side walk.

She and Riley had already agreed that it would be best if he talked to Zane one on one. They thought he might be more receptive that way. Riley waited nervously, as the only grade 12 in the LGBT club that made Zane the chairperson of the meetings and part of his duties included putting the meeting room back in order afterwords. Almost all of the kids that Riley knew to be in the club had left already. Zane should be out any minute now. Riley's heart skipped a beat as the door creaked open, but it wasn't Zane that came through,instead it was Adam Torres.

Riley relaxed a bit and tried to look nonchalant. He didn't know Adam very well, but he was on the football team with Adam's step-brother Drew and although Drew was far from one of Riley's favorite people he had a lot of respect for Adam. Adam was currently the only transgender student at Degrassi and had struggled to find a way to fit in. If being an openly gay student in high school was difficult,which Riley could attest that it was,he could only imagine how hard it was to be a female to male transgender student. Rumor had it that was why Drew and Adam had transferred to Degrassi,so that Adam could make a fresh start from his old life as "Gracie" Torres.

The one nice thing Riley could say about Drew was that he was very supportive of his step-brother and helped him through some hard times. Had Drew not tried to blackmail him out of his position as starting QB he thought the two of them could have been friends, unfortunately that had not been the case. Now Drew was having some problems of his own and had been out of school for awhile, but on the flip side Adam was finally settled in and was getting on really well with most of the other students even,co-hosting a school radio program with Dave Turner. When Dave had made some offensive remarks at Adam's expense,to his surprise most of the student body had sided with Adam **against** Dave. Zane and the LGBT club had even started a petition to get Dave off the air but in an even more surprising twist, Adam and Dave had worked out their differences and continued to host the program together. In an odd way that gave Riley hope that he and Zane might also work out their problems.

Adam crossed the street and started down the sidewalk past Riley and gave him a nod in greeting. "Hey."

"Hi," Riley answered "you're Adam right? Drew's brother."

"Yeah that's me." Adam said coming to a stop next to him.

"How is Drew?" Riley asked.

"He's doing better. He'll actually be coming back to Degrassi pretty soon." Adam replied.

"Oh that's great." Riley said,causing Adam to crack a smile. "What?"

Adam shuffled his feet and said "Well, I know you and Drew aren't exactly best buds so I was impressed with how sincere you made that sound."

Riley gave Adam a big grin. "Well Drew and I may have had a rough go around,but I've had too much drama lately to take pleasure in anybody's misfortune."

Adam smiled back. "It's okay, Drew has a knack for finding trouble,but I hope he can reign that in now." he paused and the added, " Zane should be out soon, he's tidying up the meeting room."

"Yeah, I figured. I guess you've heard from the gossip mill that he and I are going through a bit of drama now ourselves?" Riley asked.

"Nah, but I could tell from the way Zane was acting that things must not be going well." Adam said. "Is it bad?"

"Bad enough." Riley answered.

Adam shuffled his feet again."Well I hope you guys can work it out. Zane is.. ,well, he just seems better when he's with you,happier you know."

Riley gave short bitter laugh,"Sometimes I wonder about that. Hey Adam,can I ask you a question? It's a little personal but you can always tell me to mind my own business if you want."

Adam stopped to consider a moment before finally saying "Sure. What do you want to know?"

" What was it like when you came out to your Mom as transgender?"

" Ah!" Adam smiled. "I kinda figured that's where you were gonna go."

Riley blushed. "Look, if that was outta line I'm sorry."

"No,no. It's okay,I only meant that I figured you Zane are having problems because of family. I know his parents are very supportive and I know you pretty much outed yourself at school last year when you bought that date with Zane at the bachelor auction,so from what little Zane has said it was an easy guess."

"It's my mom,she doesn't want me to be gay." Riley admitted.

"That's tough but just so you know,it's not really the same thing as being trans. I always knew I was in the wrong body even before I could articulate it with the right words." Adam said.

"Oh. Well, I guess I always felt a little different too. It wasn't until the other boys my age started getting interested in girls that I suspected that I might be gay. I just tried to ignore it and hoped it would go away. I faked an interest in girls and that worked pretty well until I met Peter." Riley told him. It felt strange to open up to some one he knew only in passing,but he felt an odd sort of kinship with Adam.

"Peter Stone? The guy that used to work at The Dot?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, he was my first crush. It never went beyond a friendship ,but after that I just couldn't keep ignoring my feelings." Riley explained.

"I understand. Once I figured out that I was trans there was no going back for me either,well except for all that trouble with Bianca,Owen and Fitz but that was stupid and I'd rather just forget the whole incident." Adam shuddered at the memory.

"Well unfortunately, that's how Ma feels about me being gay." Riley said " I just wish I could make it easier for her."

"It takes time Riley. It sounds like you've been dealing with being gay for a few years, it's not really fair to ask your mom to figure it all out in a few months. Give her time to come around,maybe see if she wants some counseling or something." Adam said. He reached into his book bag and pulled out a pen and paper and scribbled something down. "This is my number, if you ever need to talk about this stuff or even if you don't and just want to hang, give me a call sometime."

Riley smiled."Thanks Adam,you're a good guy. It's hard to believe you and Drew are brothers."

Adam smiled back. "Ah, he's not so bad,you just sorta have to get to know him."

" I'll take your word for it. Seriously, thanks for the talk and I would like to hang out sometime" Riley said genuinely grateful.

"Great, well I'll see you around then." Adam started down the sidewalk away from the school. He paused after a few feet and yelled back. "Hey Riley!"

"Yeah?" Riley bellowed.

"Good luck." Adam shouted and flashed him a thumbs up.

"Thanks." Riley shouted back and then muttered under his breathe "I think I'm gonna need it." He turned around and crossed the street. He slowly climbed up the front steps and opened the door to Degrassi and made his way to the LGBT club meeting room. Inside he saw Zane stacking chairs on the tabletops. Riley carefully and quietly opened the door and stepped inside,pulling the door closed behind him. Zane's back was to the door and he had neither seen nor heard Riley enter the room,he was completely unaware of the other boys presence until Riley nervously cleared his throat and said, "Zane? Can we please talk for a minute?"

**A/N: Sorry for the change of plans. I intended to focus only on Ziley but I realized that one of the things I miss is Riley and Zane interacting with the other characters. Don't worry this is still a Ziley story but I think a few supporting characters are a plus. Next Chapter Riley vs Zane.**


	4. Chapter 4

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, the characters in this story or the locations.**

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who is reading this. Please feel free to review because I do enjoy the feedback and it should help keep me honest as a writer. I think this is the halfway mark but then again when I started, it was supposed to be a one-shot short story so forgive me if I change my mind. Sorry for any errors that may slip by.**

Zane Park went rigid at the sound of Riley's voice. He had known that he could not avoid talking to Riley forever but he had hoped to put it off a bit longer. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and addressed him without turning around."Meetings over, come back tomorrow." he said in as neutral tone as possible.

"I'm not here for the LGBT club." Riley replied evenly.

Zane gave a humorless laugh."Big surprise. I forgot you're not gay, got yourself a hot girlfriend now." he mocked as he resumed stacking the empty chairs on the abandoned table tops.

"Zane, please don't."

"Don't what?" Zane asked bitterly. "Isn't this what you wanted?" He turned around to face Riley. " Isn't this what I'm supposed to do, "respect your decision." he spat Riley's own words back at him.

" I'm sorry, Zane." Riley said,closing his eyes as wave pain swept his face. " I'm so sorry."

"YOU SHOULD BE!" Zane screamed finally losing his composure. " You should be sorry and hurt and humiliated! You should feel all that,the same way you made me feel the other night at The Dot! I can't believe what a fool I've been, how I've let you treat me, again and again!" Zane paused to take a breath and choke back his tears, he hadn't given Riley the satisfaction of seeing him cry the other night and he certainly didn't intend to now. In a calm, quiet voice he said. "Just leave me alone,please. I don't want to be hurt anymore."

Riley opened his eyes and tears ran freely down his cheeks. It gave Zane pause because he had never seen Riley cry before. " Zane please listen to me. I'm sorry and I never should have said those things to you. If I could take it all back I would,but I can't and now all I can do is try to make it better."

"I don't know how you could." Zane replied flatly.

"I can't." Riley said surprising himself as well as Zane. "At least not alone. I need your help Zane and your forgiveness and your understanding. Your patience and your compassion, your wisdom and your strength,your humor and all those other qualities that I fell in love with. Because I do love you Zane, I always have, I still do."

Zane was quiet. A tear slowly tread it's way down his face and dripped off his cheek. "If that's true then why did you...those things you said..." Zane stammered.

Riley shuffled forward a few steps."I was scared and stupid and confused. I saw how hurt you were after my party, I knew I couldn't keep putting you through this endless cycle of push and pull. I thought that if I just let you go,it would spare you any more pain."

"Stupid jerk." Zane snorted.

"I know I was,but I felt trapped. I didn't know what else to do and it's not like you were giving me a lot of choice."

"Me?" Zane asked. "I wasn't the one pushing you away."

"No but you were the one pushing me to come out to my mom." Riley said somewhat more sharply than he intended.

"What?" Zane said,shocked at the turn this was taking, "I was trying to help you Riley,I was trying to help us."

"You were pushing." Riley said evenly.

Zane's shoulders went stiff, "I'm not wrong about this Riley. You should want to have an honest relationship with your parents, you should be proud of who you are."

Riley took a deep breath to gather himself,he had to tread this next part carefully. " You're right, I should be more open with my parents and I want to, but that has to be my decision, not yours."

"Riley...," Zane began but Riley held up a hand to silence him.

"Please let me finish and then I promise I'll listen to whatever you have to say." Riley said. He walked closer to Zane and pulled two chairs off the table,they each took a seat opposite one another. Riley took Zane's hand in his,Zane resisted at first but finally relaxed in his grasp. Then Riley began to speak again.

" I am proud of who I am, of the person I've become and you've been a huge factor in the changes I've made. Remember when I won the date with you at the bachelor auction? And who do you think put our names on the ballot for king & king at the Vegas Night dance?"

Zane laughed at the memory, he had told Riley " I guess there's always prom." when they lost to Drew Torres and Alli Bhandari. He assumed that Riley's friend Anya put them on the ballot, so he was quite surprised to find out it had been Riley himself.

"It may have taken awhile," Riley continued " but once I was comfortable being out at school I never tried to hide our relationship there. I was nervous about attending college as an openly gay football prospect, but again I decided not to hide who I was and told the recruiter straight up,no pun intended." Riley chuckled at his own corny joke and surprisingly Zane smiled too.

"After Ma caught us together the night of the art show," Riley pressed on "you know I tried to tell her but she refused to listen,refused to even talk about it. She shut me out, and you know better than anyone how much that hurt me."

Zane nodded. Riley had spent a lot of time agonizing over the cold shoulder he had received from his mother at the time and even though he had tried to make it seem as if it was no big deal, Zane had known it hurt him more than he cared to admit. That was one of the reasons he had hoped to help Riley have a more open relationship with his mom so that they could...

Zane's thought trailed off. He was suddenly beginning to really understand how Riley felt. It was so obvious now. Riley had been backed into a corner by two of the most important people in his life. Zane was trying to pull Riley out of the closet while Mrs. Stavros had been trying to push him back in. Even though he had been trying to help, Zane now realized why Riley had lied about meeting Athena the first time as well making up that stupid girlfriend story to appease his parents. He was also beginning to see why Riley had really asked him to The Dot that night, to see if Zane would continue to try and force him to confront his parents,that's why Riley had tried to let him go that night. To spare himself as well as Zane because despite all of progress Riley made, Zane had still kept asking for more.

"Zane? Zane are you still listening?" he heard Riley ask.

Zane burst into tears and this time he did not try to hold them back. He let the pain wash over him and really tried feel what Riley had been saying all this time but had been to stubborn to understand. " I am Riley, I'm really listening to you this time and I know what you're trying to tell me." Zane squeezed Riley's hand and with his free arm swiped at his own tear stained eyes.

Riley paused not really daring to believe that it could be this easy. Zane had always been the more thoughtful of the two, but he had hurt him so much. Could Zane really have understood why he had tried to break things off.

As if reading his mind Zane said," Yes, I know what you were trying to do. Oh my god, I'm the stupid jerk Riley not you. I was so focused on fixing things that I didn't see what I was doing to you. I was putting so much pressure on you, even though you kept telling me to back off but I just couldn't hear it," Zane grasped Riley's free hand and looked into his eyes " but I hear you now. I'm ready to listen Riley. I'm ready to close my mouth and open my mind, ready to be here for you, like I should have been in the first place. That is," Zane paused, " if you still want me?"

Riley looked into Zane's soft, tear streaked brown eyes and was amazed. Amazed not only by the other boys insight but also his courage. To be able to make himself so vulnerable to Riley after being hurt so badly the last time they had talked was overwhelming. "You're all I've ever wanted." Riley said and pulled Zane in closer. He kissed him, gently at first, pressing his lips on Zane's and waiting for him to respond. Zane did respond, he kissed Riley and untangled his hand from Riley's grasp to slide it up his arm so he could squeeze the back of Riley's neck.

Zane broke away from the kiss. He held Riley in place and gently leaned in until their faces touched again. They stayed like that for a moment,simplely savoring the closeness of one another. Although their relationship had been challenging from an intellectual stand point, physically they had always been a perfect match. Zane never felt safer than he did when he was in Riley's arms,likewise Riley had never felt more confident than he did when he held Zane close. Without other things to get in the way, when it was only the two of them together, everything felt perfect. There were no obstacles, no pressure, no pain, just the simple beat of two hearts in love with each other while the rest of the world spun by.

Riley laughed, a small easy peel of laughter momentarily breaking the spell they had fallen under. "What?" Zane asked beaming back at him.

"I didn't get to finish the speech I prepared." Riley said smiling. "You kinda derailed my train of thought."

"That's okay." Zane reassured him. "You can tell me later. You can do all the talking from now on if that's what you want."

"Silly Zane, I thought you said you were listening to me. I've all ready got what I want." Riley said and kissed Zane again.

**A/N: Well Ziley is back together, in this fic anyway. Hope you enjoyed this and hope you didn't think it was too easy or too fluffy. Next chapter Riley and Zane vs Riley's mom.**


	5. Chapter 5

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, it's characters or locations.**

**A/N: Chapter five, we're entering the home stretch as I can't really see this going beyond 8-10 chapters, actually I think I could do it in 6 but I would like to try a chapter or so that doesn't revolve around Riley's homosexuality so directly. Also at some point before the end, Riley will have another 18th birthday party that is a little less angst ridden.**

Riley and Zane's reunion was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash and rattle,followed by a steady string of profanity in a soft female voice.

"What was that?" Zane asked breaking away from the kiss he and Riley shared.

"Dunno." Riley replied. "But it sounded like it came from right outside the door."

Riley and Zane got up and moved over to the door. They couldn't see anything through the glass window pane so they opened the door and entered the hall. There they saw a young woman with long brown curls sprawled face down in the floor next to an overturned trash bin.

"Athena?" Riley asked with genuine surprise.

Athena shifted her body until she was crouching on her knees, disturbing a small litter of crumpled papers and empty plastic bottles that had been spilled when she had apparently tripped over the trash bin. Athena leaped to her feet and delicately tossed her hair over her shoulder. She did her best to look dignified. "Why Riley, Zane, what are you two doing her?" she asked in a conversational tone. She was doing a good job of maintaining her composure despite the rosy red blush that was coloring her cheeks.

"Oh you know, just hanging out." Zane said suppressing a laugh. He reached out and picked at a stray wrapper that clung to her hair.

"Um, what... what are you doing here?" Riley asked. To his credit he was not laughing but he had a huge smile on his face.

"Well I think that should be obvious." Athena said primly. "I was standing here minding my own business, certainly not spying on anyone, and when I decided that everything was okay, because why wouldn't it be," she added hastily. "I went to go wait somewhere else and this trash bin very rudely got in my way and caused me to trip. I'm thinking of suing those responsible." she finished.

Riley and Zane burst out into hysterical laughter. Athena held onto her air of propriety which just made them laugh harder, finally her resolve crumbled and she joined in, laughing at her own misfortune. When their laughter finally subsided she looked at the boys sheepishly and said, " I honestly wasn't trying to spy on you guys, not really anyway. I just got worried and a little curious and when I came back and didn't see Riley outside, I decided to pop in and see how things were going. When I found the room and peeked in, it looked like you two had...worked out some things so, I decided slip away unnoticed and wait for you to tell me the good news. However, thanks to an over enthusiastic happy dance, I tripped over the rubbish bin."

Zane smiled at this strange, beautiful girl who had apparently become quite attached to his boyfriend. "Happy dance,huh? Well Riley," Zane said throwing an arm around Riley's shoulder, "it seems like we have our own personal cheerleader."

"More like a meddling gal pal." Riley said. "Lucky for her she's so cute and smart, I think we'll keep her."

"Yay!" Athena said and did a little clap with her hands. "So does this jovial interlude mean you guys are good?"

"We're good. Riley said.

"We're great." Zane seconded.

"Awesome." Athena stated simply before asking, "So where do we go from here?"

"I think you already know." Riley told Athena, his mood instantly becoming somber.

"Wait, what's going on you two?" Zane asked, realizing he was out of the loop.

"Zane," Riley began, "talking to you was only the first step. I had to see where I stood with you, figure out if there was chance to repair the damage I'd done but I don't intend to stop now."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm going to talk to my mom next. It's time I came out, for real this time"

"Whoa, I can't believe I'm saying this but do you think this is a good idea?" Zane asked. "Riley I meant every word I said earlier. If you're not ready to do this,then don't. I'm sticking by you no matter what you decide."

Riley looked at his boyfriend with a sense of admiration and gratitude. How he had longed to hear Zane say those words. The irony that he was hearing them now did not escape him though.

Riley grasped Zane by the shoulders and gave him a quick kiss. " I love you and the fact that you're willing to wait means the world to me, but I'd already decided that no matter what happened today with us, I'm telling Ma I'm gay and she has to listen to me this time."

Zane looked at Riley still concerned, "You're sure about this." more of a statement than a question.

"Absolutely." Riley replied. " No more hiding, no more "two Rileys", no pushing or pulling. It's time for me be my own person and stop trying to live up to everybody's idea of who I should be."

Zane could not have been more proud to hear what Riley was saying and felt a bit guilty that he spent so much time underestimating him. Riley may have been impulsive, and a bit unsure of himself at times but when he set his mind to a goal there was no stopping him, on the football field or off. " So what's the game plan?" he asked a bit nervous.

"Just come with me and be yourself and no matter what happens trust me, I've thought this through. Can you do that for me?" Riley asked.

"Anything for you."

"Alright." Riley said. "Just let me make a quick phone call and we should be ready to go."

Riley stepped away for a moment and started dialing on his cell phone.

Athena stepped closer to Zane and touched his shoulder. "Zane? About Riley's birthday, I'm sorry. I had no idea things were so tense between you two and I certainly never intended to make things worse. I hope you don't hold that against me."

"No not at all." Zane reassured her. " In fact, I should be thanking you for sticking by Riley through all this. He's always been kind of a loner and lately he and his friend Anya have been a little distant, so I'm glad he's had you to lean on."

" He's a great guy, it's hard not to like him." Athena smiled slyly, " Shame he's gay. I think his mom had big plans for us."

" Did she now?" Zane asked playing along. " Well you two did have fun on your date the other night, should I be jealous?"

Athena laughed, "Honey I'm good but I'm not that good, the boy only has eyes for you."

Just then Riley came up behind them, " Okay, we're all set. Let's go."

"I'll meet you at The Dot later." Athena said. " Remember ,I'm just a phone call or text away if you need me." She leaned into Riley and gave him a peck on the cheek. "For luck." She turned to Zane and also kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Also for luck." she said before turning around and giving the trash bin a wary look before heading out the door.

"Let's go introduce you to Ma." Riley said extending a hand.

Zane clasped Riley's hand and together they walked out of Degrassi hand in hand.

Sometime later they arrived at Riley's home.

" You ready for this?" Riley asked.

"Am I ready? What about you?" Zane asked amazed at how calm Riley seemed.

" You're by my side, I'm ready for anything." Riley said and flashed him a warm smile.

Riley used his key to let himself and Zane inside and closed the door behind them. " Ma!" Riley called out, "I'm home."

"I'm in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready soon ,why don't you wash up first." Mrs. Stavros called back.

" In a minute, could you come here please? There's some one I want you to meet." Riley answered.

" Who is it? Athena called earlier but I told her you hadn't got home yet, you should call her when you get the chance." Mrs. Stavros was saying as she entered the room. She stopped short and the smile vanished from her face as soon as she saw Zane standing there, in her home, next to her son. "Hello." she said cautiously to Zane.

"Hello Mrs. Stavros, it's good to see you again." Zane said politely. Though he suddenly felt the urge to be anywhere else but here. He was all the more amazed at how serene Riley was, standing there smiling next to him.

" Zane this is my mother, Elena Stavros." Riley said, making a formal introduction. Ma, this Zane Park, my boyfriend."

There was an awkward pause where the house was completely silent and Mrs. Stavros held an unreadable expression. Then she blinked and quietly said, "Riley don't make stupid jokes, you'll embarrass your friend."

"It's not a joke and he's more than just a friend. You know that." Riley said directly to his mother.

" I know no such thing." she replied sharply before spinning on her heel and heading straight back into the kitchen.

"Ma, come back. We need to talk about this." Riley called after her. He and Zane followed her into the kitchen and found her at the counter chopping vegetables for a salad. " Ma..." Riley began.

" Does your friend intend to stay for dinner?" She asked not looking at her son or Zane.

" My boyfriend." Riley corrected.

"If he stays, I don't want you joking like that around your father. It will just upset him." Mrs. Stavros said stiffly.

" I'm serious, Ma. Zane's my boyfriend. I'm gay."

Riley's mother dropped her knife and looked him straight in eye. " Stop saying that! What are you trying to do to me? Why are you lying like this?" She looked at Zane. " This is your fault, what have done to my son?"

Zane was taken aback, this was more difficult then he had imagined. He was suddenly at a loss for words, all the scenarios he had practiced in his head had not prepared him for this. " I...I.."

"Zane didn't do anything but love me Ma, he didn't make me gay anymore than you can make me straight." Riley interrupted.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed at Riley before turning her attention back to Zane. "How dare you come into my house, being filthy with my son! Do your parents know? Do they know the disgusting things you've tricked my Riley into doing?", she shouted at Zane.

" ENOUGH!" Riley shouted. "Ma, I love you, but I'm in love with Zane and he loves me. He's cared for me and supported me and you will treat him with the respect he deserves."

Mrs. Stavros recoiled like she had been burnt. " Don't raise your voice to me, Riley."

"I don't want to shout Ma, I just want to talk but you're not giving me any choice in the matter."

" You're a fine one to talk." she said and then turned to Zane. "Get out, get out of my house!"

" If Zane leaves, I'm going with him." Riley stated.

"What?" she snapped her head back in Riley's direction. " Be quiet, you don't know what you're saying. It's this boy,the things he's done to you..."

" DON'T START THAT AGAIN." Riley shouted.

Mrs. Stavros looked horrified and on the verge of tears. Zane felt so sorry for her, he knew he probably shouldn't but he couldn't help it. She looked like her entire world was crumbling around her, and all he wanted to do was comfort her. " Mrs. Stavros..." he began.

" Leave." she said coldly. Then she looked at Riley, " You're not going anywhere with him." she said defiantly.

"I'm eighteen now, Ma. You can't stop me." Riley said.

Her face hardened into a stoic mask. Whatever else this woman may be Zane thought, she's strong and stubborn. Zane now understood where Riley got it from. Her will was being thwarted and she was not about to have that, not in her own home and not in front of him of all people. "Riley I should go." Zane said sensing what would happen if he didn't, but it was too late. Riley was determined and just as stubborn as his mother, this had gone past the point of no return.

Riley looked at his mother and said, " If he goes,then so do I."

Mrs. Stavros looked at each of them in turn before simply turning her back on them. " So be it. Do what you will." she said and then went back to chopping the unattended vegetables.

" Fine." Riley said. " Let's go Zane."

Zane started to protest. They couldn't leave like this, he couldn't let Riley leave like this, not like this. He looked to Riley who remained calm, calmer than Zane could have imagined. Sensing Zane's hesitation. Riley looked at him and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

" It's okay Zane. Let's go." Riley said.

And so they did, without another word between them, Zane and Riley walked out of Riley's home, not looking back. Later, when she was sure they were gone, Mrs. Stavros went upstairs to Riley's bedroom and sat down on his bed. Alone, looking at her son's thing she began to cry and didn't stop until several hours later when her husband came home.

**A/N: Whew! That was rough. Don't worry though, Riley's story is far from over. Sorry if the humor at the beginning seems out of place, but I knew we would be ending on a down note so I wanted a little levity to ease into it. Next chapter: A funeral for Riley Stavros (purely symbolic) and Riley finds a new home (for real). Thanks for all of your support and reviews, I hope to continue my schedule of posting one chapter a day so if all goes well chapter six will be up by this time tomorrow. **


	6. Chapter 6

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, the characters or the locations.**

**A/N: Chapter Six. This chapter is made up of four key scenes. One of which features Mr. Stavros but his encounter with Riley is different than the one Riley had with his mother. I think that provides a better contrast and fleshes his character out a bit more. Another scene in this chapter is where the idea for the title of this story comes from. Apologies for any errors I overlooked.**

Riley and Zane walked in The Dot and Athena could tell by the shell shocked expression on Zane's face that things had not went well at the Stavros home. She prepared for the worst as she waited for the duo to make their way to her table. There was small number of people scattered around the restaurant in groups of various sizes. Not crowed by any means, but a far cry from the deserted state it had been in the last time they had been there. The two boys slid into the booth where she was sitting.

"How did it go?" Athena asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

Riley took a deep breath and exhaled. "W.C.S." he said quietly.

"W.C.S. ?" she asked. "What does that mean?"

"Worst case scenario." he replied.

"No! She kicked you out?" Athena asked, shocked it had went that far.

"No, she didn't kick me out. I left, there's a difference." Riley explained.

"Oh Riley, I'm so sorry." Athena said.

"You've been pretty quiet." Riley said looking over at Zane. "How are you holding up?"

"Me?" Zane asked. "I feel horrible and I can't even believe you're still sitting here with me, let alone care how I'm doing. Your mom basically disowned you and it's my fault."

Riley looked at Zane's distraught expression and gently stroked his cheek "Geez, Zane you're such an ego maniac. Give me some of the credit." Riley smiled.

"Riley this is so beyond not funny." Zane said.

"You're right, this isn't funny but it's also not completely unexpected. I told you, I thought this through,made a plan instead of just jumping in head first this time." Riley explained. "Right Athena?" Riley asked their friend.

"Yeah, I mean I got your stuff in my car, I just didn't think you'd actually need it." Athena replied,still some what dazed by the turn of events.

"What is she talking about?" Zane asked realizing that he may have underestimated Riley once again.

" I had Athena pick me up after school today. We dropped by my house before I came back to talk to you, and packed up some of my stuff. My laptop, phone charger, some clothes and stuff like that, You know, just some of the essentials."

"You were expecting this?" Zane asked horrified. He couldn't believe how calm Riley was, how... okay he seemed with all that had transpired in such a short amount of time.

"Not expecting it, really. I was just trying to be prepared for it. I know Ma better than either of you and I know how stubborn she can be. If she was gonna deny the truth then I had to be willing to make a stand, to force her to confront it. She has to accept that I'm gay and that it's not anybody's fault, not her's, not Zane's. It's just the way I am." He looked at Zane, "I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of the relationship we have and I'm tired of letting everyone else tell me who I should be. This is a new Riley Stavros."

"So the other Riley is gone now?" Zane asked.

"For good." Riley said.

"But Riley, your mom, your home, to have to give those up just be who you are. It's so unfair." Athena said.

"Well I'm not thrilled with Ma's reaction, and I'm nervous about finding a place to crash but I feel... more alive somehow. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can breath easier. Everything is just so..." Riley smiled, at a loss for the word.

"New." Zane finished. "It's like you're reborn." he added.

"Wow." Athena said. "I think I want be gay now so I can come out too."

"Really?" Riley teased. "Well, I hear Fiona Coyne recently started dating girls and is newly single. We have a...history, maybe I could fix you up."

"You're sweet but the mood has passed, turns out I still like guys." Athena said.

"Really?" Zane joked. "Us too, we should totally hang out."

The three of them shared a quiet, easy laugh. Despite all the drama of the last few days, Riley seemed in remarkably good spirits. Athena supposed that it could be due to the fact that he would be going away to university in the States at the end of the semester. Still she couldn't help but be concerned about him. "So what about your Mom? Do you think she'll come around.?" she asked.

"It's hard to say right now. First she and Pa will have to have a chat on why I'm not around anymore, then I know he and I will have to talk. After that, well I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Riley explained. "Right now though, I need to concentrate on finding a place to stay."

"No problem, you can stay with me." Athena quickly said.

" Because your parents always let football studs live under the same roof as their totally hot,eighteen year old daughter." Zane said.

"They do when I tell them that the football stud is gay." Athena replied.

"Will that be an issue?" Riley asked

"Shouldn't be, my Uncle Nicky is gay and they adore him, so do I actually. I hope you get the chance to meet him." Athena said.

"I don't want to be a pessimist" Zane said "but, Riley is a stranger to your family. Even if you vouch for him, they might not be so keen on the idea." Zane turned to Riley, "So that's why you should come stay with me."

Riley arched his eyebrows in surprise while Athena interjected, "Um, because your parents will allow their son's football stud boyfriend to just move in."

"Actually, Mom and Dad love Riley and I know they will be concerned about his well being." Zane countered.

"I dunno? Riley what do you think?" Athena asked.

Riley looked at his friend and his boyfriend and his heart swelled. "I think I have two of the most wonderful people in the world sitting in front of me. You guys are great, and as thankful as I am for both offers, I'm gonna have to choose...Zane."

"Yes!" Zane fist pumped.

"Crap!" Athena swore.

"But I love you both." Riley interjected.

"Oh just admit it," Athena chided, "you picked him because you know he'll put out for you."

"No comment." Riley blushed.

Riley and Zane sat across from Mr. and Mrs. Park waiting on their reply. They had just explained the situation at Riley's home and Zane had been emphatic that his parents let Riley stay. He briefly told them about their break up and how he had felt somewhat responsible because he had wanted Riley to be more open with his own family. Riley on the other hand had assured the Parks that Zane had had nothing to do with his domestic troubles, the choice had been his and he would be fine on his own if this was an imposition. Mr. Park seemed reluctant at first but it was ultimately Zane's mother that made the decision.

"Riley, you're a wonderful young man and we adore you. Your welcome to stay here as long as you need to."

"Thank you, thank you so much. I promise I won't be any trouble and I'll pay for my own expenses of course." Riley said.

"Oh, don't worry about that right now, sweetie. You just concentrate on your last year at Degrassi and fixing things with you parents. Do you... did you have time to get some of your things?" Mrs. Park asked.

"Yeah," Riley replied, " My bags are at a friends house, I'll give her a call and she can drop them off if that's okay?"

"That will be fine dear." Mrs. Park agreed. " Zane go get some fresh linens from the hall closet and put them on your bed, please."

Zane got up to comply, but Riley interrupted. "Oh no,that's okay I can just sleep on the couch or the floor or whatever. I mean, I don't want to kick Zane out of his own bed."

"Well...Riley, dear I just assumed you'd be sharing a bed with Zane." Mrs. Park said. "Of course if you're more comfortable in a room of your own, we could arrange that."

"I...well...it's...". Riley stammered. He knew his face was red because it suddenly felt twenty degrees hotter than the rest of his body.

"Linda please stop. You're embarrassing the boy." Mr. Park said. "Zane, you and Riley figure out this rooming arrangement and whatever you two decide is fine with us. You'll both be at university this time next year so I think you're both adult enough to figure this out without us interfering."

"Thanks,dad." Zane replied. He held back the laughter forming in his gut. Riley was a deep shade of red and clearly mortified by the situation.

"Have you two eaten yet?" Mrs. park asked changing the subject.

"No." Riley answered. "In all the ah...excitement, it kinda slipped my mind."

"Okay," Mrs. Park said. "I'll start dinner. Riley, call your friend and have your things brought over and Zane can help you get settled in. We'll eat in an hour or so."

"Thanks Mom," Zane said and kissed her cheek. "You too Dad." he said to his father and gave him a hug.

Mr. Park clapped Riley on the back and said, "Welcome to our family."

Time went by and Riley settled into his new routine living at the Park household. He and Zane had decided to share Zane's room and his bed after all. Although Riley was hesitant at first. He didn't want the Parks to think he was disrespecting them by taking advantage of the situation to sleep with Zane but Mr. and Mrs. Park honestly didn't seem to mind one way or the other. "It's not like you two could get pregnant like Jenna Middleton." Zane's mother said in reference to their schoolmate. Zane's mom was a huge fan of "Next Teen Star", the singing competition television show that Jenna had competed on and during its course had revealed her pregnancy.

Still,Riley had preferred that they not fool around too much in Zane's room, at least not while Zane's parents were home anyway. Zane was puzzled by the weird honor system Riley had developed but if it made him happy, Zane was not one to push the issue. Not anymore at least.

It took three days for Riley to receive a call from home. His cell rang and Riley answered. It was his father. He talked just long enough to relay the message that he wanted to meet with him the next day. Riley and Zane went together to the park where Mr. Stavros was already waiting. He gave Riley a huge bear hug when he saw him and was surprisingly cordial to Zane.

They talked for a long time and things went very well, all things considered. Mr. Stavros was confused and surprised to find out not only was his son gay but he also had a boyfriend. He asked Riley if he was sure that he was gay, if he was happy being "that way" and if he loved Zane? Riley had said yes to all three questions. Mr. Stavros was not thrilled of course, but he did seem oddly satisfied with those answers.

He asked Riley to come back home. "Is Ma ready to accept that things are different now?" Riley asked. His father simply dropped his head. "I'm sorry Pa but I can't go back to the way things were."

Mr. Stavros was heartbroken, but he said that he understood. He said he wanted to see Riley again, very soon and that Zane was welcome to come along. Riley agreed and before he left Mr. Stavros said, "Please, both of you, don't think too harshly of my Elena. She's a good woman, she is, it's just that she has always been single minded when it comes to you Riley. You're our only child, she wants so much for you to be happy."

"I am Pa, I really am." Riley said taking hold of Zane's hand.

The next day Riley was standing in front of the fire pit located in the Park's backyard. He was joined by Zane, Athena and Adam.

"Dude, this is kinda morbid don't you think?" Adam asked Riley.

"No this is symbolic." Riley corrected. "Besides I got the idea from the story you told me, remember."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, but I didn't call it a "funeral" and I didn't make everyone wear black." Adam replied.

"I bet Eli wore black." Riley retorted

"Eli always wears black." Adam replied with a grin.

"Well I feel ridiculous." Athena said. Per Riley's instructions she had showed up an hour ago dressed in black. A black knee length cocktail dress with white polka dots and a pink sash across the waist.

"Kinda cheery for a funeral isn't it." Riley asked. He was dressed in black slacks,a black dress shirt and a black silk tie.

"Funeral? Who Died?" Athena asked.

"Me." Riley replied with a big grin. "Well, the old me anyway."

Riley quickly explained that he wanted to have a formal ceremony to bury one of the "two Rileys" and say goodbye to his old,semi-closeted life.

"Well, all you said on the phone was that you were having a ceremony that you wanted me to attend and to "dress up in something dark". I assumed you and Zane were doing an commitment ceremony. You should have been more specific." Athena huffed.

"Don't you think that would be jumping the gun just a little?" Riley asked.

"I don't see why, after all, the two of you are living together." Athena countered.

Now Athena stood gathered in the back yard with others, feeling inappropriately dressed for Riley's fake funeral.

"I think you look great." Adam leaned over and whispered to Athena. He had worn black cargo pants and a matching black polo shirt.

"Thanks. You look really cute, yourself." Athena smiled at Adam.

"We should get started." Zane said. He had worn a white shirt and black tie with black pants.

Riley took his place in front of the fire pit, and the others gathered around to join him. "We're gathered together to say goodbye to the late Riley Stavros. Not the suave, handsome, star-athlete Riley Stavros with the great abs and the amazing boyfriend as well as..."

"You forgot modest you conceited ass." Athena included. Zane and Adam giggled.

Riley glared at Athena before continuing. "Today we say goodbye to the old Riley Stavros, the angry homophobe who shot off his mouth almost as often as he lashed out with his fists. I can't really say I completely disliked that Riley because ultimately he sacrificed himself so that I could take his place. I can't say I'll miss him but I can say that I loved him and felt sorry for him. Though I'm glad he's gone, I will never forget the lessons he taught me."

Riley reached down into the center of the fire pit and opened a shoe box that he had placed there earlier before everyone else had arrived. He opened the lid and and pulled out an 8X10 photograph of himself.

Athena noticed right away that this was an older photo, the Riley in the picture looked very different from the Riley who stood before her today. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "What is up with your hair?"

The photo of Riley had a great big mane of wildly curly hair, quite different from the sleek and short cropped hair style he currently sported. "I was letting it grow out back then." Riley explained.

"It's like a Chia Pet!" Athena continued amazed and horrified.

"Dude! That's what I always thought." Adam said.

"AHEM!" Riley said clearing his throat theatrically. He also pulled three informational pamphlets out of the box. They were titled: The Dangers Of Steroid Abuse, How To Stamp Out Homophobia and The Cure For Homosexuality.

Athena got a look at them and shook her head. "A self-hater and a steroid user, sounds like the old Riley was a jerk." she said.

"He was complicated, that's for sure." Zane said. "But he did have his moments." He reached over and squeezed Riley's shoulder.

Riley smiled at his boyfriend before looking to Athena. "I'm glad you didn't know him Athena. I don't think you would have liked him very much and odds are, he would have tried to kiss you."

"Fancied himself a ladies man did he?" Athena asked.

"Yeah," Adam said. "just ask Anya or Fiona or Chantay or Peter.

"Peter?" Athena asked.

Riley smiled. "Old Riley might have been "straight" but he wasn't narrow."

"Okay. Let's do this." Zane said.

Riley replaced the contents of the shoe box and reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of matches. Zane carefully added a bit of lighter fluid to the contents of the box and then Riley struck a match. He dropped the lit match inside the box and it burst into flames. The four of them stood around the fire pit until the box and it's contents were reduced to ash.

"I guess that's it?" Athena asked.

"I think so." Adam said.

"How do you feel?" Zane asked looking at his boyfriend.

"Complete." Riley said with a smile as he pulled Zane in close for a kiss.

**A/N: Well there you have it. Personally I'm gonna miss the old Riley a little bit. I just hope the show has some closure before Riley is gone for good. As for my Ziley story, it will go on. Next Chapter: Riley gets a birthday do over and a phone call from Mama Stavros.**


	7. Chapter 7

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of the characters or the locations.**

**A/N: This is a birthday party for Riley, since his last one didn't end so well and also features and appearance by Anya. It's been hard writing a Ziley fic without her although I do like how Athena has come along as a character. Sorry for the late update yesterday, I was under the weather but I should be back on track from now on. Apologies for any errors that may have slipped by.**

"Okay the shower's all yours." Riley called as he stepped out of the bathroom adjacent to Zane's bedroom. Well technically it was now Zane and Riley's bedroom,as it had been since he had moved in with Zane and his parents three weeks ago. Riley had a white bath sheet wrapped around his waist and moved from the bathroom door to the closet to find something more appropriate to wear. "So where did you say we were going tonight?" he asked.

Zane peeled off his t-shirt as he stepped into the bathroom and called back. "I didn't. It's a surprise."

Riley paused his search and went over to the bathroom door. "Well how do I know what to wear if I don't know where we're going?"

"Just pick something." Zane shouted over the sound of running water. "You look great no matter what you wear."

"Can't argue with that." Riley joked. He selected his clothes and got dressed, giving himself a once over in the mirror after he was done. A long sleeve maroon pullover and khaki pants with loafers instead of sneakers. Not bad if he did say so himself.

"Hey, not bad." Zane said coming out of the bathroom wearing his bathrobe.

Riley smiled. Despite the circumstances and the reasons why he was living with Zane, things had been really great between them. He had worried that they might get on each others nerves spending so much time together. They lived in the same house now, went to the same school and spent most of their free time together and yet they never really got tired of seeing one another. It was better than he could have dreamed.

"So what's the big surprise?" Riley asked.

Zane was now scanning the closet to pick out his own clothes. "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise."

"You are such a tease." Riley said walking up behind Zane and giving him a kiss on the neck. "Come on, can't you just give me a hint."

"No." Zane said sternly.

"Please?" Riley begged, kissing Zane's neck again and again.

"Um, you'd better stop that or we won't be going anywhere." Zane said leaning back against Riley.

Riley kissed Zane on the neck again and once more on cheek. "Spoil sport." he pouted. He left Zane to get dressed, going down stairs checking his phone for messages as he went. No new texts or voice mails. He vaguely thought that was odd since he hadn't heard from Athena all day, what time he hadn't spent with Zane in the last month or so he had been spending with her. The two of them had become close in the short time they had known each other and Riley missed her when they didn't talk.

"Okay I'm ready." Zane said as he came down stairs. He had chosen a similar look to compliment Riley's. Dark slacks and a blue silk button button shirt.

"Nice." Riley said with a smile. "That color looks great on you."

"Thank you." Zane replied.

"Let's go." Riley said impatiently. "I don't want to be late for whatever it is we're going to."

Riley followed Zane into a restaurant they had never eaten at before. If this was Zane's big surprise, then Riley hated to admit it was a bit of a let down. He wasn't even that hungry. Zane approached the hostess and said "Stavros party." The pretty blonde checked the screen in front of her and then grabbed a couple of menus.

"Right this way." she said and indicated that they should follow. She led them all the way to the back of building, to room reserved for private parties and opened the door for them.

Riley was instantly suspicious. "Alright, Zane. What have you got cooked up." he asked stopping at the door.

Zane smiled and said, "I didn't cook anything, but other people did." He winked and went inside. With a quick shake of his head and smile plastered on his face, Riley followed. The first thing he saw when he stepped inside was a huge banner that said: Happy 18.1 Birthday!,the banner was strung over a long table that was set up buffet style and Riley noticed that all the foods that were lain out were his favorites. Another, smaller table to the side contained a two-tier birthday cake that was surrounded by Riley and Zane's friends and family. "HAPPY EIGHTEEN POINT ONE BIRTHDAY!" they shouted.

Riley was shocked and brought his hands up to his face to cover his open mouth and the red blush coloring his cheeks. Looking closer Riley saw that the group contained Mr. and Mrs. Park, Athena, her uncle Nicky-whom Riley had met once before, Adam and his friend Dave Turner, and most surprisingly his father. Mr. Stavros came up and gave his son a big hug. Riley and his father often talked by phone and occasionally would meet somewhere away from the Stavros home, and Mr. Stavros was always happy to see his son. Their relationship was still not perfect, but Mr. Stavros seemed content that Riley was happy and always made an effort to be nice to Zane.

"Happy birthday, Riley." Athena said and gave him hug.

"What's all this?" Riley asked looking to Zane and then to Athena.

"Well," Zane began, "since your last birthday party had a bit of drama associated with it..."

"...we decided to give you a do over." Athena finished.

"Besides, you had your funeral for the old Riley so consider this a celebration and a rebirth of the new Riley." Zane added.

"Thank you." Riley said to Zane and Athena and then to everyone else, "Thank you all for coming."

"Actually." Zane said we're still short a couple of people he said looking around.

" Sorry I'm late, don't start without me." said a familiar female voice.

Riley turned around to greet the new arrival,"Anya! It's so good to see you." he ran up and grabbed her and spun her around. Anya Macpherson was one of Riley's closest friends but lately they had drifted apart and Anya did not seem to want Riley around as much. Riley had tried to respect her wishes and give her some space, but he had really missed her and was glad she was here.

"Okay Riley, it's good to see you too but you can put me down now. I might get air sick." Anya laughed. "How have you been."

"It's been up and down, but things are pretty good now." Riley said. Riley felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around for another shock as the last guest to arrive gave him a big hug.

"Long time no see." Peter Stone said.

"More like long time never see anymore." Riley said and embraced Peter. " How's life been treating you?"

"Good but incredibly hectic, but you'll find that out pretty soon for yourself." Peter told him.

Riley and Peter had been very close friends when they had attended Degrassi together but Peter had graduated two years ago and began attending university. Since then Riley and Peter had not spent a lot of time together but Riley was still very happy to see him.

Riley looked at Zane who was still close by his side. "Zane this is amazing, thank you so much."

Zane came closer. " Yeah you said that already, but you're welcome. I just wanted to do something good for you." He leaned in and kissed Riley,gently grazing his lips with his own.

They were interrupted by a chorus of whistles and cat calls from some of the other guests (namely Athena, Nicky, Anya and Peter) and Mr. Park stepped forward "Okay, okay settle down everyone. We've got the room for evening so enjoy yourselves."

Riley and Zane mingled through the party spending time with everyone and making introductions as needed between them. Everyone seemed to be getting along and having a good time when Riley and Zane slipped away to an outer hallway that connected the party room to the kitchen. "You Mister Park are amazing!" Riley said

"And you Mister Stavros are wonderful. You deserve all the best and I haven't been able to give you much of that lately." Zane said. "I wish I'd been more supportive in the past."

"Zane you've been too good to me. We have to stop worrying about the past and focus on the present and presently," Riley said moving closer, "I am madly, head over heels in love with you." Zane also moved closer and before they knew it,they were tangled in each others embrace. Hands and lips exploring each other, they stayed like that for what seemed like hours until they were interrupted.

"Oops, I'm totally not looking." Anya said.

Riley and Zane separated and looked over at their friend, smiling and blushing slightly.

"They're ready for you to cut the cake." Anya told Riley.

"Great." Riley looked at Zane and said, "Could you go in and stall them for a bit? I wanna talk to Anya for a minute."

"Sure." Zane said and ruffled Riley's hair as he left to go make small talk.

"What's up?" Anya asked.

" I can't help but notice that you didn't bring Owen along. It would have been okay, you know."

Anya had recently begun seeing Owen Milligan romantically. At first Riley was horrified, Owen had went out of his way to haze and harass both Zane and Riley and Riley had attacked Owen for it on more than one occasion. Riley felt part of the reason he and Anya had drifted apart had been to do with that history he had with Owen.

"Owen and I are...complicated right now." Anya said. "Actually a lot of things are complicated right now, but I don't want to talk about any of that stuff right now. This is your night, but just so you know, it really means a lot to me that you are willing to give Owen a chance."

"I've learned a lot of hard lessons lately." Riley told her "If Owen is good to you and he makes you happy then you should go for it. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart."

"Thanks Riley." Anya said.

"Just tell him if he's not good to you, I'll beat him up again" Riley only half joked.

"Thanks. I think" Anya laughed.

Just then Riley's phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked to see who was calling and was shocked to see the caller id read 'Ma'. "Anya it's my mother, I need to take this." Riley told her.

"Of course, I'll go help Zane stall for you." Anya said and went back to the party.

Riley was nervous, this would be the first time he had spoken to his mother in almost three weeks. He hit the 'Answer' key and held the phone up to his ear. "Hello."

No reply. "Hello." he said again.

"Hello Riley." his mother finally said.

"Hi Ma." Riley said quietly. " How are you?"

"I am fine. How are you doing?" she said stiffly.

"I'm good Ma, real good." Riley added trying to keep his tone even and conversational.

"That's what your father tells me, when he gets back from visiting with you. He says you are very happy."

"I am, Ma. Zane is throwing a party for me tonight, Pa's here."

"I know." Mrs. Stavros said. "I... I did not feel well, so I wanted to stay home."

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"Better." she said

"You could come over now if you want,there's plenty of cake." Riley ventured

There was a long pause and Riley thought she was actually considering his invitation. Then she replied, "No. I don't think I will."

"Oh." was all Riley said. His mother was silent for a moment before she ventured another question.

"How is Zane?" Riley jumped like he had been slapped. That was the first time his mother had ever said Zane's name, much less ever asked anything about him.

"He's...he's fine Ma." Riley said carefully.

"That's good." she said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I would like to see you some time, spend time together, just the two of us, if you can?"

Riley knew this was a huge step for his mother, to call him and be civil at the mention of Zane's name. He hoped this would be the beginning of a reconciliation with her.

"Yeah." Riley said, "I'd like that."

"Good." she said. "I will call you again tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll talk to you then." Riley said. And then added cautiously " I love you Ma."

"I love you son" his mother said, her voice cracking. " I love you too."

There was a click and then the line went dead. Riley stood there for a moment trying to absorb what had just happened. He took a minute to collect his thoughts and then rejoined the party. As he walked in Anya caught his eyes and mouthed the words "What happened?". He looked at her and silently mouthed back "Later." and Anya nodded demurely.

"Okay Riles!" Peter said as he lit the candles. "blow these out and make a wish." Peter lit all eighteen and a half candles (some one's idea of a joke) and with one breath Riley blew them all out. Everyone clapped and cheered. Then Peter came up to Riley's side and asked, "What did you wish for?"

From Riley's other side Zane said "I don't think he's supposed to tell or they say it won't come true."

"Actually babe, I think it already did." Riley told him and Zane and Peter looked puzzled.

"Well, what was it then?" Zane asked.

"I'll tell you later." Riley smiled and kissed Zane on the nose quickly.

"You're in a good mood." Zane said, suspicious.

"Yeah." Riley smiled and exchanged a knowing look with Anya. "Alright," Riley called out "who wants cake?"

**A/N: Okay we're almost done, just one more chapter to go. Thanks to everyone who has been following this story, I hope you are enjoying it. Feel free to review if you want. Next chapter: Riley and Zane contemplate their future and how will things turn out with Riley and his mother.**


	8. Chapter 8

THE DEATH OF RILEY STAVROS

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, it's characters or it's locations.**

**A/N: Okay this is the final chapter. I hope you like it and will enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you all for reading and I hope you can take the time to submit a review. Please read my final authors note at the end. Apologies for any errors that may have slipped by me.**

Zane and Athena sat on the sofa in Zane's living room. Zane picked up the remote control and clicked the television off. "Best episode ever!" he said and gave a fist pump.

"You've gotta stop doing that." Athena said. "but you're right, that was a really good episode. It was so awesome when they finally had their big kiss." Athena gushed.

"Yeah," Zane agreed, "some of the musical numbers were annoying though. That's one of the reasons why Riley refuses to watch it with me, he hates musicals."

"That's okay." Athena said. "It will be our secret guilty pleasure, besides I don't really watch it for the music, I watch it for the gays. Doesn't Riley still like the gays?" she teased.

"Yeah, but he's also not into high school dramas, says that they aren't realistic." Zane answered.

"Duh, then it wouldn't be on television." Athena scoffed "Besides at least this show has the guts to put a gay relationship front and center, and they don't ignore them like they don't exist."

"That is very awesome." Zane agreed.

"You know what I hate though," Athena ranted, " is when characters just disappear for no reason and there is no mention of why they're gone, like they fell into a black hole or something and all the other characters just forget about them." Just then Athena's phone beeped and she looked down to check it. "Hey, it's a text from my friend Leia!"

Just then the door opened and Riley walked into the living room. Athena forgot all about her message from Leia and dropped the phone back on the sofa. "Hey you." she said.

"What's up with you guys?" Riley asked.

"Just got done watching our favorite television show." Athena replied.

"Eww. Not the one about the two gay guys in the show choir." Riley groaned.

"But tonight's episode was awesome, they totally kissed." she argued.

"Like this." He said and leaned down to lightly kiss Zane's lips.

"No." Athena said with a laugh, "They filmed it at a funny angle to kinda disguise it. I guess so they wouldn't scare the straight folks who were watching."

"Despite not wanting to change the subject from this riveting conversation," Zane said, "how was dinner at your folks?"

Riley's mood turned more serious. He sat down on the sofa, squeezing between Zane and Athena. "We need to talk." he said looking at his boyfriend.

"Yikes. That's my cue to leave." Athena said and started to get up.

"You don't have to go." Zane said

"It's okay, you two need to talk but I want a full report after you guys get everything settled." Athena got up and walked around behind the sofa where she poked her head between Riley and Zane and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Love you both, call me later." she said and then left.

"So what happened tonight?" Zane asked. Since the night of Riley's birthday-do-over, Riley had been going once a week to his parents house for dinner, which was very nice for Riley or at least it had been so far. The first dinner had been quiet and awkward, a bit uncomfortable for everyone but very civil. Dinner number two had been easier and more relaxed,fun even. Tonight had been number three and Zane worried that the goodwill had finally run out.

"Tonight was good. We talked like we always do about school, work, family and friends. Of course Ma and Pa were talking about me going away this year to university. We talked about you." Riley stated slowly.

"I bet." Zane laughed.

"No, really." Riley said. " I mean, I always talk about you, not like I'm trying to push our relationship in my parents faces, but I also refuse to treat you like he-who-won't-be-named or whatever."

Zane laughed again. Riley wasn't much of a reader.

Riley continued, "Usually they're kinda quiet when I talk about you, quiet but respectful. They know I wouldn't put up with anything less.

Zane smiled and squeezed his boyfriend's shoulder. If he could be thankful for anything to come out of this whole mess, it was that he and Riley had become much closer and their relationship was stronger than it had ever been before.

"Well tonight, not only were they civil and respectful at the mention of your name, they were curious, they actually asked questions and seemed interested in the answers." Riley continued, "Then they asked a question about you that I couldn't answer."

"What was that?" Zane asked. He assumed they were curious about whether or not he was going to Eastern University with Riley. They had talked about it, of course, and he had been accepted at Eastern, despite lacking Riley's football skills, but Zane had held off on making any decisions just yet. Things were great right now, and for the moment that was enough.

"They wanted to know if you would come with me next week." Riley announced.

"Say what?" Zane asked, he couldn't have heard that right.

"They want to meet you, for real this time, as my boyfriend" Riley said smiling.

"Wow!" Zane said. This was big. Zane had hoped that one day he and Riley's mom would be able to coexist but it had always seemed more of a fantasy. Now it seemed a very real possibility, could the rift between Riley and his family finally be closing? Then again, what if this was some kind of a trap, what if she just wanted to lure Zane over there so she could confront him in front of Riley and Mr. Stavros? Would she do that, could she have really changed so much in such a short amount of time?

"Hey Zane, are you in there." Riley asked waving his hand in front of Zane's face. "You kinda zoned out there for minute. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course" Zane replied. "I'm just surprised is all."

"I know, it's incredible isn't?" Riley beamed. "I mean, I know this doesn't just suddenly make everything okay but it's a start right?"

"Yes, I guess." Zane answered flatly.

Riley hesitated for a moment. For some reason Zane didn't seem as happy as he thought he would be. "What do you mean you guess?" he asked patiently.

"Your mom's not one of my biggest fans, Riley. She said some pretty awful things to me, to us. I'm just concerned about this whole sudden turn around she's made." Zane explained.

"It's not that sudden, Zane." Riley said growing annoyed. "I'm not sure why you're so down on this. This is the chance I've been waiting on, to finally bring the most important people in my life together. To have my family and my boyfriend, don't you want that too?"

"Yes of course." Zane reasoned. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Riley interrupted. "You and Pa seem to get on just fine."

"Yes, but you and I don't have quite the same history with your father that we do with your mother." Zane said.

"But that's exactly what it is Zane, history. Why can't you see that?" Riley pleaded.

Zane was torn. He really wanted to do this for Riley, but a part of him just did not trust his mother, not after everything she had done

" I want to but..." Zane pleaded.

Riley's shoulder's slumped, he looked defeated. Abruptly he got up and said, "I'm going to bed." Riley started up the stairs and paused midway. He looked at Zane and said, "Could you at least think about it, please?"

"Of course." Zane replied quickly.

Riley nodded and continued up the stairs,dejected.

Zane groaned and dropped his head into his hands and growled, "This sucks!" to no one in particular.

The next day Zane woke up and Riley was already gone. It looked like he had gotten up early and readied himself for school and just left on his own. In the short time they had lived together, Zane had gotten so attached to Riley that it somehow felt completely wrong to start the day without him. Zane cursed at himself, this was his fault. Riley had been so excited and Zane had been so full of doubt. It must seem so unfair to Riley, for the longest time Zane had urged Riley to be open with his family and now that he was, Zane was pulling back._ What's wrong with me? _Zane thought. _I should jump at this opportunity._

But Zane couldn't, couldn't forget the horrible things that Riley's mother had said. He couldn't forget that Riley had once been tricked into going on a blind date with Athena by Mrs. Stavros. He also couldn't forget how she had treated him at Riley's birthday party, the first one. She might not have wanted to admit it, but she had known Riley and Zane were together and yet she gleefully played along with Riley's lie about a fake girlfriend. She relished it, throwing it in Zane's face, and now he was just supposed to forgive and forget and walk into her house again.

Zane struggled with those thoughts as he got up and got ready for school. He had to figure this out, Riley would expect an answer and right now Zane wasn't sure what that would be. Zane grabbed his book bag and came downstairs, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. " Mom, I'm leaving for school." he shouted.

"Zane wait!" his mother shouted back. She came into the living room looking a bit flushed.

"What's up" he asked.

"Sweetie, you have a visitor." she said.

"Oh." Zane was puzzled for a moment,then his face lit up. "Oh, you mean Athena, Riley must have called her this morning before he left. I guess she's here to.."

"Zane!" his mother interrupted. "It's not Athena. It's Mrs. Stavros."

Zane's mother opened the kitchen door and stood aside to let Mrs. Stavros pass. Riley's mother walked primly into the living room of the Park household and said "Hello Zane."

"Hello Mrs. Stavros." Zane replied. "Please won't you come sit down." he said indicating the sofa. Mrs. Stavros complied and sat down.

"Zane, I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. For anything." Mrs. Park said looking directly at Mrs. Stavros before turning to re-enter the kitchen and let the door swing closed.

Zane smiled nervously, and though he was glad his mom had made her meaning clear, he still felt the need to apologize. "Sorry about that."

Mrs. Stavros smiled. "It's quite all right, She is a mother who loves her son, she and I understand each other."

"I don't want to be rude," Zane began, "but I'm going to be late for school. May I ask why you're here"

Mrs. Stavros smiled. "You're very direct. I like that. My Riley called me this morning, he said that he had relayed my invitation for you to come to dinner next week."

"Did he now?" Zane replied coolly. He still wasn't sure why this woman was here but he had no intention of starting a fight.

"Yes." she replied evenly. He was very distressed about it, so I thought maybe it would be better if I asked you myself.

"Why?" Zane asked not wanting to give any ground.

"So that I may apologize. I said some very cruel, hurtful things to you the last time you were in my home and for that I am sorry." Mrs. Stavros said.

"That's it?" Zane asked. "After everything you said,everything you did that's all you have to say?"

Mrs. Stavros looked down at her lap and collected herself before looking at Zane again and saying. "No that's not all I have to say, but it is a start, yes?" Mrs. Stavros actually looked...,hopeful?

"I suppose it is." Zane replied carefully.

" We are very different people Zane, I'm sure we disagree about many things. But..." Mrs. Stavros added, " we have things in common as well. We are both strong willed and stubborn, we are both very loyal, and we both love Riley."

"That's true." Zane ventured. "I'm curious, how do know so much about me?"

"Riley has spoken of you often." Mrs. Stavros said. "I see the way he looks when he talks of you." she paused. "Riley is the most important thing we have in common. I am his mother and despite what it may seem like to you, I love him very much."

" As do I." Zane repeated fiercely.

"Of that, I am sure." she said with an air of finality. "At one time he was my little boy, my only child, my Riley. But now I see that he is a man and he must live his own life. He is still my Riley, but I can see that he is also your Riley now." she said somewhat wistful, and Zane felt sympathetic. She had realized that she would have to share something that she thought would always be hers.

Zane cleared his throat, "He is an amazing human being Mrs. Stavros, it's obvious that you did a wonderful job raising him and I know he loves you and Mr. Stavros both so much."

Mrs. Stavros smiled. "Then would it not be for the best if we could find some way to share his love, so that he does not feel as if he is being pulled in two directions, can't we both love him enough to do that"

"I believe that we could, but how do we start?

"Well, why don't you come to dinner next week with Riley and we will begin there."

"I...,I'll think about it." Zane answered honestly.

"That is all I can ask." Mrs. Stavros replied.

Zane arrived at school late for his first class but he didn't care. He had to find Riley right away. He walked the halls of Degrassi until he arrived at Riley's locker. He saw Riley standing there with Adam, Dave and Alli Bhandari who was apparently Dave Turner's girlfriend now. "Riley!" Zane called out. Riley looked up to see Zane coming toward him.

Riley smiled at him and started to speak. "Listen, about last night...

Zane cut him off. "Forget it. I was being stupid. I would love to come to your parents house for dinner next week."

"Really?" Riley's face lit up.

"More than anything! Zane answered.

Riley was thrilled and to emphasize his point he grabbed Zane and kissed him passionately, not caring who saw.

Owen Milligan happened to be walking down the hall and witnessed the kiss. "Get a room, you two!" he shouted at Riley and Zane.

Alli looked over her shoulder at Owen as he went past and said. "Oh, get over yourself Owen. You're just mad that Riley picked Zane over you!" she teased.

"Whatever." Owen said blushing.

Alli, Dave and Adam laughed as Owen slunk away.

Riley and Zane continued to kiss, not caring about anything but each other.

One week later.

"Are you nervous?" Riley asked.

"A little." Zane answered.

"Don't be." Riley told him.

Riley rang the doorbell and the door opened to reveal Mr. and Mrs. Stavros standing there, waiting for them arrive, actually they looked as if they had been waiting all week for them arrive judging by how excited they both seemed.

"Dinner is almost ready" Mr. Stavros said. " Perfect timing."

"Ah, it must be because I'm wearing this." Riley said flashing the watch his father had given him for his birthday.

"Riley!" Mrs. Stavros said warmly and gave her son a hug. She turned to Zane and held her arms open and the two of them embraced, a bit awkwardly, but it was still a hug. She patted Zane's shoulder's and smiled warmly as she said. "Zane, I am so glad you are here. Welcome to our home, please come in."

Hand in hand, Riley and Zane walked through the open door of the Stavros home together.

**A/N: Well there it is. My version of what happened to Ziley during Grade 12. Depending on how the show ends I'll either feel like a hero or a chump. I know I left some things unsaid but that's part of the story, I like the idea that the future is open and anything is possible for Riley and Zane.**

**I have to say a very special thank you to *The Latina Eve Harrington* and *Baylop*, who have inspired and entertained me with their amazing stories. I bow to them both and urge anyone who enjoys fan fiction to check out their work(hint: you can find them in my favorites on my profile).**

**Thanks to; *Storylover158*, *Adevablaze*,*Wallypog* and *Shove-off-Malfoy* for their reviews and support which helped me stay dedicated to finishing this story on schedule.**

**Thanks to anyone and everyone who read and/or reviewed my story, whether you liked, loved, disliked or hated it, I wrote it for you.**

**Also thanks goes to Argiris Karras and Shannon Kook-Chun who made me believe in Ziley and care what happened to them.**


End file.
